Wood-based films and coatings can be used in the several fields including food packaging materials, specialized films, and antibacterial or UV protective coatings due to their low cost, renewability, and biodegradability. The use of cellulose and/or hemicelluloses films is advantageous due to their biodegradability. Cellulose films can be easily made by cellophane process or dissolution procedure using ionic liquids. Hemicellulose films using xylan as the most common hemicellulose source can be obtained with the addition of film-making plasticizer. However, cellulose and hemicelluloses films lack the physicochemical properties required to replace petrochemical-based plastic film.
It would therefore be advantageous to develop a biodegradable synthetic wood film or coating with improved physicochemical properties.